Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

I've been trying to avoid the new stuff like the plague until the whole album came out. Looks like it's time to dive in.

And I actually bet that people of the Pitchfork persuasion avoided When the Pawn... because Tidal had Criminal as such a big hit, and they lumped her in with Jewel, Natalia Imbruglia and all those other post-Alanis dark/tender songwriters. Which was completely idiotic of them, as both When the Pawn... and Extraordinary Machine are stunningly well made albums.

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

After giving the album a good dozen or so spins in the last week it's finally grown on me. The first few times I heard it the only tracks that stayed with me were Every Single Night, Anything We Want and Hot Knife. It simply took more listens for the rest of the album's charms to get under my skin. I think the starkness of the arrangements tricked me into perceiving the album as one monolithic block of sameness, but there is so much going on in these fragile little arrangements. Every Single Night has done some kind of black magic on me. The last 6 days straight I've woken up with strains of "I just want to feeeeeeel everything..." echoing in my head. I can't wait to hear all of these songs live.

I agree with the OP that it would be a treat to hear her pull off 'Hot Knife' live, but she tends to have minimal to no background vocals live. I can't see that one working without background vocals. Maybe she'll bring her sis with her.

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

Originally Posted by RageAgainstTheAoki

The first few times I heard it the only tracks that stayed with me were Every Single Night, Anything We Want and Hot Knife. It simply took more listens for the rest of the album's charms to get under my skin. I think the starkness of the arrangements tricked me into perceiving the album as one monolithic block of sameness, but there is so much going on in these fragile little arrangements.

Yeah, I realize I need to give it at least a few more listens. Played it once yesterday and was actively annoyed with it. As someone who adores her first three albums, this reaction has to be a fluke.

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

Originally Posted by RotationSlimWang

Etta didn't really strive for any interesting wordplay in her lyrics either though. It was basically just all about love, fairly monosyllabic, etc. Also I don't see what's so stupid about that lyrics. It's a nice dichotomy. I want to kiss you but don't fucking touch me. That's kinda the essence of what makes Fiona so good--she encapsulates that.

What's stupid is that it doesn't make any sense. "I want to kiss you but don't fucking touch me"? Who says that sort of thing? In what context?

Also why should I give a shit about some prima donna rock star complaining/confessing/bragging that she is 'out of reach'?

Also 'amorous' is just a clumsy word to use when talking about yourself. "I want to kiss you but don't touch me" would be a better lyric.

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

What's stupid is that it doesn't make any sense. "I want to kiss you but don't fucking touch me"? Who says that sort of thing? In what context?

Also why should I give a shit about some prima donna rock star complaining/confessing/bragging that she is 'out of reach'?

Also 'amorous' is just a clumsy word to use when talking about yourself. "I want to kiss you but don't touch me" would be a better lyric.

I know it's just one line but it's poorly crafted IMO.

Who says that sort of thing? Emotionally damaged people, dipshit. And to dismiss her feelings because she's a "prima donna rock star" is such bullshit. Why don't we just write off every sentiment of loneliness that any famous artist has ever made on the same grounds? She can't be dysfunctional because she's a rock star?

Originally Posted by amyzzz

Hannah, I don't know that pigs have big weiners, and my early 20's facination with dogs because of weiner size, I think. If that helps.

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

Originally Posted by RotationSlimWang

Who says that sort of thing? Emotionally damaged people, dipshit. And to dismiss her feelings because she's a "prima donna rock star" is such bullshit. Why don't we just write off every sentiment of loneliness that any famous artist has ever made on the same grounds? She can't be dysfunctional because she's a rock star?

Look at how upset you're getting!

It's a bad lyric. Even good songwriters get lazy sometimes. Sorry if that offends you.

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

There aren't many albums I love on first listen but after hearing it on NPRs first listen, I do. I pre ordered the vinyl which arrives tomorrow and I can't wait to hear it again. She just added more tour dates so I will see her in Mesa on 9/18. She sings with so much anxiety and passion.

The childless 20-something year olds on the board who find a 50 something year old man fucking teenage prostitutes distasteful will probably change the hum of their tune once they produce babies, definitely. That's the missing link.

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

There is a faceplate all brown and red that stretches across my mouth
It's worn for protection, nobody gets in and nobody gets out
I used to look myself in the mirror at the end of every day
But I took the one thing that made me beautiful and threw it away

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

Originally Posted by bmack86

And I actually bet that people of the Pitchfork persuasion avoided When the Pawn... because Tidal had Criminal as such a big hit, and they lumped her in with Jewel, Natalia Imbruglia and all those other post-Alanis dark/tender songwriters. Which was completely idiotic of them, as both When the Pawn... and Extraordinary Machine are stunningly well made albums.

Well this sort of thing didn't help matters:

When the Pawn . . . is an interesting case in terms of music consumerism. It was an album that didn't have an audience in its day, outside her very substantial fanbase. It still went plat (bet you can find a used cd for under $2 at your local record store), but those were the dying days of people still buying albums right before Napster's ascendancy, and total sales were way down from Tidal (When the Pawn . . . only peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200). The mainstream had moved on to bubblegum (or Durst-core idiot rock) in a big way in 1999, and indie audiences probably still saw her as some sort of goofy curio at that point (MTV meltdowns, that unwieldy and instantly-mockable album title, etc.). I remember "Fast As You Can" coming out, mostly for PTA's video, but didn't really register the album myself until two or three years later when a friend raved and raved about it. Blown away. Absolutely blown away by how excellent it was. I have a feeling that a lot of people came to it late, like I did.

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

Regarding Pitchfork: I rarely visit that site and somehow I ended up there in the middle of the night and it seemed 30-40% masturbatory Radiohead news. All sources for music lose their credibility for music eventually.

Regarding this album: I love it. I've been a big fan of Fiona since Tidal, and she definitely continues to grow with her material. She continues to speak her mind, even if it may be a bit coarse to some ears. I can only imagine her to keep on making amazing music throughout our life times. One of my bucket list performers.

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

Originally Posted by TomAz

Look at how upset you're getting!

It's a bad lyric. Even good songwriters get lazy sometimes. Sorry if that offends you.

Calling it a bad lyric is one thing. Dismissing it because she's not entitled to feeling a certain way because she's a "prima donna rock star" is however not fucking allowed when you're talking about someone who's clearly demonstrated her talents and capabilities for expressing heart-rending contradictions inherent in the nature of humanity. It might not be a great lyric in your estimation, but it yearns to express something a little more intricate and nuanced than "I want a sunday kind of love," even though that message might be more concise and therefore easy to digest.

Originally Posted by amyzzz

Hannah, I don't know that pigs have big weiners, and my early 20's facination with dogs because of weiner size, I think. If that helps.

Re: Fiona Apple -- The Idler Wheel

Her lyrics can be a bit twee and overpacked at times, but for the most part I think their messiness matches the messiness of the songs' emotional content. That being said, I think she's at her most effective as a lyricist when she pulls back a little and gives the song a little more room to breathe. 'Anything We Want' is a lovely recent example of her doing just that. I still think 'I Know' is her best song; especially when it comes to lyrics. The lyrics are simple, elegantly constructed, completely unforced and just perfectly married with the arrangement.

Those Fallon performances were wonderful. Wonder why she wasn't performing with her band. Still, The Roots did a great job backing her.